School-desk



(No Model.) 3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

T. J. THORP.

SCHOOL DESK; No. 598,685. Patentedl-ieb. 8, 1898.

(No Model.)-

, 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. T. J. THORP.

SCHOOL DESK.

Patented Feb. 8

M Q I W Wain/eases THOMAS J. THORP, OF FOREST GROVE, OREGON, ASSIGNOROF. ONE-EIGHTH TO BURDETT L. I-IURD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SCHOOL-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 598,685, dated February8, 1898".

Serial No. 634,032. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, THOMAS J. THORP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Forest Grove, inthe county of Washington and State ofOregon, have invented a new and'useful Improvement in School-Desks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

One of the objects ofmyinvention is to provide a construction ofschool-desk whereby parts shall be metal-bound and fastened together byfitting without the use of screws, nails, and the like, thus to afford astrong and durable construction. My further object is to afford to thedesk educational properties by providing the cover of the box portion inthe form of a blackboard or slate, and com bining with the box portionlessons on an apron stretched between rollers to be rolled to bringdifferent, lessons successively into view in convenient position withrelation to a person sitting at the desk, the lesson apparatus beingadapted to be lowered when out of use into the desk and to be raisedtherefrom into position for display.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved deskby a view in cross-sectional elevation with the lesson apparatusrepresented by full lines in its position for exhibition and by dottedlines in its lowered position, the section being taken at the line 1 onFig. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 2, a view in sideelevation of a broken section of the same; Fig. 3, a broken plan viewof. the desk; Fig. 4., a view in rear elevation of the same; Fig. 5, abroken section taken at the line 5 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the directionof the arrow; Fig. 6, a broken section taken at the line 6 on Fig. 1 andviewed in the direction of the arrow; and Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are brokenperspective views of the box portion of the desk, showing, by way ofdiagram, respectively, the incipient movement of the movableslate-section of the top preparatorily to reversing it, the hangingposition thereof preparatory to raising it for reversal, and the reverseposition of the movable section in the act of being closed.

The general form of the desk shown,to which my improvements are applied,is a conventional form of school-desk having the two open-work metallegs A and A, one each side, forked and spread toward their lower ends,with the front B of wood extendingbetween them and affording the backfor the seat B, hinged to them, and with bracketarms 0 O projectingbackward from their rear edges to aiford supports for the box portion Dof the desk. The base rof the box D issupported upon the bracket-arms O.The sides 13 p are of open-work metal, and 0 and n are respectively thefront and rear walls of the box, which may be formed of metal-boundwood. One half of the top of the box portion of the desk is rigid, beingformed of a panel which may be of wood, having dovetail tongues mextending along its front and rear edges to enter dovetail grooves inmetal bars 0 and n on the upper edges of the front and back walls 0 andn of the box D. The bottoms of the bars 0 and n: are longitudinallygrooved, as most clearly shown in Fig. 8, to receive correspondingtongues on the upper edges of the parts 0 and n to couple thereto thestationary part of the top at its edges. The other half of the top ofthe box is formed of the front and rear metal bars Z and 1c, groovedalong their upper and lower edges, as best shown in Fig. 9, and havinglongitudinal dovetail grooves in their inner sides and longitudinalgrooves Z and 76, respectively, in their outer sides, the dovetailgrooves receiving the dovetail tongues Z and Z on the front and rearedges of a slate, or, as shown, a panel having one surface provided witha coating 2' to afford a slate or blackboard E. The tongues referred toas being provided on the upper edges of the front and rear walls 0 and nextend throughout the length of the latter to engage with the grooves inthe under sides of the bars Z and 7c and afford guides for the slate inmoving it. This slate isconnected with the box D to adapt it to he slidback and forth laterally by fingers h and h, projecting toward eachother at the righthand side of the desk to enter the grooves k and Z,whichare stopped at their opposite ends, whereby when the slate is drawnoutward on the fingers toward the right, as indicated incipiently inFig. 7, it may hang down the side of the box D, as shown inFig. 8, andmay be turned around to bring the slate-surface underneath by raisingthe slate on the guide-fingers h and it till they are stopped at thelower closed ends of the grooves Z 74:, when the slate may be turnedbodily over in the direction toward the right till it is brought to ahorizontal position, in which it may be slid on the said fingers, asindicated in Fig. 9, to abut against the panel m and cover the box D. Toreverse this adjustable section of the box top or cover and present itsslate-surface uppermost, it is drawn out and allowed to drop in themanner described, then raised to the'limit of the grooves Z and when itis turned over till it assumes ahorizontal position and slid on theguide-fingers h and h toward the left till it abuts against the panelm.7

.It is also desirable to form the seat B of wood, with dovetail tonguesq extending about its edges, and bind the latter with metal bars (1,dovetail-grooved about their inner sides to interlock with the tongues.

The space between the seat-back B and top of the box D is covered by alid F, which should be formed of metal-bound wood, like the seat B, andwhich is hinged near one edge between the legs and carries near itsopposite ends the transverse guide-rods g g, on which are looselyconfined the collars g. In guideloops 1) and v on the inner sides of thedesklegs, near their rear edges, are reciprocably confined the verticalrack-bars G G, having near their upper ends pivotal link connection withthe sliding collars on the rods g and having journaled between them attheir upper ends the guide-roller fand below the latter the guide-rollerf, and in bearings projecting forward from the front edges of the barsG, above their rack portions 15, are journaled the rollers H and H,carrying, respectively, the crank-handles e and e on corresponding endsof their journals, by which to actuate them.

I is the sheet or apron, having printed on one or on each of itssurfaces at suitable intervals lessons, such as indicated, this lessonapron being properly applied at its opposite ends upon the rollers H andH to unwind from one by winding it upon the other and passing about therollers f and f, as represented in Fig. 1, or in any suitable manner forthe desired display of the lessons, as hereinafter described. A shaftdis j ournaled near its opposite ends in the desk-legs A A and carriespinions i, meshing with the racks i, and an operating-handle 25 To raisethe lesson-exhibiting attachment to the position in which it isillustrated by the full lines in Fig. 1, the shaft 61 is turned lid Fand the apron-carrying rollers to display a section of the lesson-apronvertically in front of an occupant of the desk. By turning the shaft dinthe opposite direction the rack-bars G are lowered, thereby lowering theapron with its rollers to house them, and, finally, by means of thedescribed connection of the rack-bars with the lid, pulling the latterdown to close it. By turning one or the other of the handles 6 e theapron I is caused to travel, winding upon one roller, as that marked H,the handle of which is being manipulated, and from the other companionroller to display successive lessons in front of the rollers f f. If theapron has lessons provided on each of its surfaces, it may be taken offits rollers and readjusted thereon to display, by operating them, itsreverse surface, or the apron may be endless.

lVhat I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' 1. In a school-desk, the box portion having front and rear sidesformed of wood and provided on their upper edges with longitudinaltongues, and a top formed of astationary and a movable section, eachsection having its front and rear edges reinforced with metal barssecured in place by tongue-and-groove connection and grooved along theirbase portions to engage the tongues on said front and rear sides,substantially as described.

2. In a school-desk, the box portion having its cover formed with alaterally-sliding section provided with a slate-surface, substantiallyas described.

3. In a school-desk, the box portion having its cover formed with alaterally-sliding and reversible section provided with a slate-surface,substantially as described.

4. In a school-desk, the box portion D having guide-fingers h and h atone side and a slate-section of the cover having guidegrooves Z and 70in itsopposite edges into which said arms extend, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with a school-desk, a lesson-apron I on rollers H, H,f, f, rackbars G reciprocably supported at opposite sides of the frontportion of the desk and carrying said rollers, a rotary shaft (1carrying vpinions engaging said rack-bars, a hinged lid F forward of thetop of the box portion of the desk and provided on one side with thearms g, and collars g on said arms having pivotal link connection withsaid rack-bars, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

THOMAS J. THORP.

In presence of- J. H. LEE, R. T. SPENcnR.

IIS

